Three former Democratic leaders of the state Senate today endorsed Sukhee Kang in the open 29th Senate District, comprising parts of Orange, Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties. Kang previously won the support of Sen. Kevin de León, the current president pro tempore and Democratic leader of the Senate.
Former Senate presidents pro tempore Darrell Steinberg, Don Perata and Bill Lockyer all praised Kang as a top-notch Democratic candidate in a seat now held by the Senate GOP leader, Bob Huff.
“Sukhee Kang has demonstrated he knows how to win elections in a diverse electorate,” Steinberg said, who served as Senate pro tem from 2008 to late last year. “The 29th Senate District is very diverse, and Sukhee’s background as an immigrant himself and as a long-time leader in the Asian American community will serve him well in winning this seat.”
“I enthusiastically support Sukhee Kang for the state Senate,” Perata said. “His private-sector success and public-sector service is the perfect combination, not only for voters in the 29th district, but for what will be outstanding service in the Senate as well.” Perata was Senate president pro tempore from 2004-08.
Lockyer, who also served as state treasurer and attorney general, and was president pro tem of the Senate from 1994-98, said, “Sukhee Kang has demonstrated leadership and dedication to principal in so many different ways since coming to this country in 1977, including being the first-ever Korean American mayor of a major American city. He will be a terrific addition to the state Senate.”
De León, the first Latino leader of the state Senate in 130 years, publicly endorsed Kang earlier this month, saying, “I enthusiastically support Sukhee for Senate District 29. He is the perfect Democratic candidate in this diverse seat, and I look forward to welcoming him to the Senate next year.”
“I am both proud and humbled to receive the endorsements of three great leaders of the legislative chamber I hope to join,” Kang said. “Darrell Steinberg, Don Perata and Bill Lockyer all demonstrated an outstanding ability to get things done for the people of this state, and left their marks on public policy for a long time to come.”
Kang was a two-term city councilmember in Irvine, as well as a two-term mayor of the city, reelected overwhelmingly in 2010 with more than 64 percent of the vote. He and his wife Joanne, also a South Korean native who immigrated to the U.S. with him in 1977, have been residents of Orange County for 38 years and now live in Fullerton.
Kang announced his candidacy for the open 29th Senate District on April 22, the first Democrat to do so, and has since picked up dozens of endorsements from state and local officials and community leaders throughout Orange and Los Angeles counties. The district is currently represented by Senate Republican Leader Bob Huff, who cannot run again due to term limits.
Kang has been recognized numerous times for his outstanding public service and community leadership, including receiving the American Diabetes Association’s “Orange County Father of the Year Award” in 2012, the Carnegie Corporation’s “Pride of America” award in 2010, and the International Leadership Foundation’s “Public Servant of the Year” award in 2010. The Irvine Chamber of Commerce also recognized Kang in 2010 as “Business Leader of the Year.”
Kang graduated from Korea University with a degree in agricultural economics, and in 2011 was awarded an honorary doctorate from Dongseo University in Busan, Korea. He also has served a special advisor to the chancellor of UC Irvine, and as an adjunct professor and Chancellor Fellow at Chapman University.
The Kang children, Alan, 34, and Angie, 32, attended public schools in Anaheim, where the Kang family lived for 10 years. Alan, a graduate of USC’s Marshall School of Business, is a manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Angie, a graduate of Berkeley Law School (Boalt Hall), is senior counsel at Hulu.
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Kang has the Sacramento machinery behind him but he continues to struggle with delegates from the district and got a frosty reception from activists at the convention. Another Democratic candidate could excite this base and win a dark-horse victory.
Is this the same “Dark Horse” candidate who could not even win re-election to his hometown City Council?
If you’re talking about Mr. Murdock, yes it is….
were you at he same convention I was? Quirk-Silva the Fullerton crowd, all his old Irvine friends were thrilled to see him and he worked the room well. He’s already outgunned, outflanked and outperformed any other Democrat thinking of challenging him. Another Democrat isn’t going to excite the base.